Archive for August, 2011

On this day in 1925 the New York Sun published a story about the discovery of life on the Moon. The discovery was supposedly made by Sir John Herschel, perhaps the best-known astronomer of his time. The article described a population of winged humanoids and fantastic animals living on the Moon. This, of course, was an elaborate hoax and some readers doubted it from the beginning. But many believed the article and the New York Sun’s circulation increased dramatically. The story was not discovered to be a hoax until several weeks after its publication and, even then, the newspaper did not issue a retraction. Today we have a demo version of the song Circles ‘Round the Moon by Nana Grizol.

Tensions had been building within The Beatles for some time during the recording of the White Album, and on this day in 1968 Ringo Starr officially quit the band. He immediately went on a Mediterranean cruise to clear his head. On the trip he was inspired to write the song “Octopus’s Garden.” Eleven days later (on September 3), Ringo returned to Abbey Road studios where he found his bandmates had covered his drum kit in flowers. Ringo officially rejoined the band that same day – just in time to record “Hey Jude.” Because of his absence, Ringo didn’t appear on the songs “Back in the USSR” or “Dear Prudence.”

On this day in 1967 the New York Times reported on a new noise-reduction system for records and tapes pioneered by the Dolby brothers. Drummers everywhere panned the system as a cymbal killer. Today we have The Party by Folklore.

Happy Aviation Day! On this day in 1939 Franklin Delano Roosevelt issued a presidential proclamation which designated the anniversary of Orville Wright’s birthday (August 19) to be National Aviation Day. Today we have The Golden Age Of Aviation by The Lucksmiths. Happy Friday!

On this day in 1983 Husker Du performed at Goofy’s Upper Deck in downtown Minneapolis. The venue booked hardcore punk shows on the second floor and ran a strip club downstairs – it only lasted for 2 years and was shut down in October 1983. The six-inch stage at Goofy’s hosted many touring bands such as Black Flag, The Minutemen, Discharge, Social Distortion, and DOA. This Husker Du performance included a number of songs that would appear on the band’s ambitious full-length double album Zen Arcade – which was released on SST in 1984.